 |
|
Site Index
Monday 21 February 2022 – David Ingham
Monday 21 February 2022 - David Ingham
Iron Age and Anglo-Saxon activity in Soham, a Roman roadside settlement at Fenstanton, and an Anglo-Saxon cemetery in Cambridge: 3 recent excavations by Albion Archaeology
Synopsis
Excavations at Fenstanton in 2017-18 revealed a large, previously unknown Roman roadside settlement with evidence of specialist cattle butchery. There were also 48 graves, split between 5 small cemeteries and a few isolated burials, revealing a population that showed an unusually high number of illnesses and injuries. One man in particular appears to have suffered punishment-related injuries around the time of his death. In contrast, the presence of an Anglo-Saxon cemetery near Croft Gardens, Cambridge had been suspected since the 19th century, with a number of burials discovered by local antiquarians. This was finally confirmed in 2020, with radiocarbon dates and a wealth of grave goods showing that the 72 people found there were buried in the 5th-6th centuries. Two burials were also found on the site of a new housing development in Soham - probably prehistoric, though their date is uncertain. The excavation primarily focused on a sequence of land-use stretching intermittently from the Iron Age to the Anglo-Saxon period.Bio
David Ingham has worked for Albion Archaeology since 2002, initially as one of the digging team but focusing increasingly on post-excavation analysis and publication since 2006. Away from the commercial side of archaeology, he edits the Bedfordshire Archaeology journal and is actively involved with numerous archaeological societies in Northamptonshire and the surrounding area.